Impact of Electronic Health Record Systems on Information Integrity: Quality and Safety Implications

While the adoption of electronic health record (EHR) systems promises a number of substantial benefits, including better care and decreased healthcare costs, serious unintended consequences from the implementation of these systems have emerged. Poor EHR system design and improper use can cause EHR-related errors that jeopardize the integrity of the information in the EHR, leading to errors that endanger patient safety or decrease the quality of care. These unintended consequences also may increase fraud and abuse and can have serious legal implications. This literature review examines the impact of unintended consequences of the use of EHR systems on the quality of care and proposed solutions to address EHR-related errors. This analysis of the literature on EHR risks is intended to serve as an impetus for further research on the prevalence of these risks, their impact on quality and safety of patient care, and strategies for reducing them.

Cloud, mobile among top EHR trends to watch in 2016,

With the market for electronic health records predicted to be worth about $35.2 billion by 2019, the steady rise of data has increased the need to strengthen the software to make data more accessible, reduce errors and increase the ease of use.

For many years, EHRs have been "aimed at satisfying regulators, not just what clinicians want or need," she said. That's changing, though, as developers work more to make health records more appealing to end users on both sides of the doctor/patient relationship. Better mobile interfaces, for instance, are "clearly desired by patients and physicians." ...

Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHR Incentive Programs

In October 2015, CMS released a final rule that modified the requirements for participation in the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs for years 2015 through 2017 as well as in 2018 and beyond. This page provides information on requirements for 2016.

Here’s what you need to know about meeting EHR Incentive Programs requirements in 2016.

Reference the landing page table to see the stage of the EHR Incentive Programs that providers are scheduled to demonstrate by start year.

For information on registration and attestation, visit the Registration and Attestation webpage.

Objectives and Measures

All providers are required to attest to a single set of objectives and measures.

For eligible professionals (EPs), there are 10 objectives, and for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs), there are 9 objectives.

In 2016, all providers must attest to objectives and measures using EHR technology certified to the 2014 Edition. If it is available, providers may also attest using EHR technology certified to the 2015 Edition, or a combination of the two.